The victims' bodies were later found in an upstairs bedroom in the house in Riddings, Derbyshire.

Speaking near the scene of the blaze, police spokesman Steve Pont said the deaths were not being treated as suspicious.

He added: "There was a fire reported at this address at Valley View Road at 7.30am. The fire service attended and found the house ablaze. They extinguished the flames and found the house was not safe enough to enter.

"We do not believe there are any suspicious circumstances, however we are in the very early stages of our investigation. We have a difficult job ahead of us now.

"There were initial reports of an explosion. There is substantial damage to the house. We can't say at the moment whether that's due to an explosion or the fire. This is an awful tragedy."